The ONE Strategy You Need to Achieve Your 2019 Wellness Goals

 
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Approaching another new year often creates a desire to reflect on the past year and consider what you want for the year ahead. New year’s resolutions are a fun pastime that create a fantasy of becoming a better version of yourself. This is why they often do not last longer than a few weeks, if that!

You may have begun a wellness journey time and time again, only to get caught up with the many other areas of your life that pull you out of your wellness routines and then it slowly falls away over time. This is common when you approach your wellness goals with a simple outcome of wanting to eat better or exercise or to just “be healthy.” While these are reasonable and legitimate desires, I’d like to ask you to dig a little deeper. I want you to ask yourself the WHY you want to achieve this goal in the first place. When you know this—your WHY, your 2019 wellness goals will be achievable.

If your goal is to eat healthier, WHY? If your goal is to exercise, WHY? If your goal is to create more work-life balance, WHY? If your goal is to end a potentially harmful habit, WHY?

And here’s the kicker, your WHY better be good! Your WHY better be something that drags you out of bed day in and day out. Your WHY better be important enough to create focus and determination after any inevitable backsliding to ensure you don’t give up on your goal—that you don’t give up on yourself.

Do you want to live a long happy life? Do you want to prepare your body to host your future children? Do you want to avoid primarily life-style driven diseases such as diabetes, cognitive impairment and heart disease? Do you want to be a role model for a child? Do you want to feel amazing? Do you want to travel around the world with your grandchildren?

By determining your WHY, your wellness goal becomes more authentic and meaningful. No matter what your goal is, the WHY behind your goal will be the reminder that you are trying to create something much greater for your life. The WHY will be the kick in your behind to start, stick with it or to get back on track without beating yourself up, or worse, giving up.

Even though your motivation will wax and wane, knowing your WHY is a constant. The WHY is more likely to jolt you back into action mode if your motivation lessens as time goes by. Rather than the generic “I want to be healthier in 2019” or “I want to exercise more in 2019,” your new mindset might be: “I want to eat vegetables with every meal in 2019 to not have to take blood pressure medication” or “I want to exercise three times per week to be a good role model for my children in 2019.”

When you finally connect with your own personal WHY, you have to put it to good use. One way to ensure you remain focused on your WHY is to make it visible constantly. Creating affirmation cards where you write, draw, paint or collage your WHY on note cards and leave them—well—everywhere—will help keep your WHY in the forefront of your mind. You can also place reminders of your WHY on your cell phone that pop up daily or even hourly to keep your WHY fresh in your mind, heart and soul. When motivation comes from within, you are far more likely to act—to follow through—to MAKE YOUR LIFE HAPPEN!

Your WHY will get you out of bed to take that class, to sit on your meditation cushion, to continue with weekly meal plan and prep, to maintain date nights with your partner, to exercise consistently, to eat those veggies, to prioritize sleep or to not spend time or resources on something you don’t truly need.

So, when you think about your goal, what comes up for you? What is your WHY? Can you dig deep and create a reason that makes you jump out of bed in the morning and keeps you focused in times of challenge? Your WHY is yours, no one else’s. Don’t judge your WHY, don’t downplay your WHY, and definitely don’t forget your WHY!

Focus on your WHY and the action will follow, it will have to. Focus on the action and you will be reminded of your WHY. They work together and need one another. Now that you have considered your WHY, spend some time reflecting on how you will use it to begin your goal or re-engage with your goals. Do you have a goal in mind for 2019 and have you determined your WHY? Let me know, I’d love to hear what will help to keep you energized and focused along your personal path to wellness.

Holiday Pumpkin-Spice-Chocolate Bread

 
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I hope you are having a wonderful, safe, healthy and joyous holiday season!

If you are looking for a last-minute healthy offering to give as a gift or take with you to a holiday gathering, look no further! This recipe tends to be a crowd-pleaser so be prepared for everyone to ask you for the recipe. They will NOT believe that this tasty dessert is FAR healthier than your usual holiday bread!

I love working with recipes to upgrade them to be as healthy and nourishing as possible and yet are still deliciously satisfying. Finding combinations of ingredients to create versions of tasty recipes that offer the best nutrition possible is always a fun challenge. Usually I prefer cooking, but I took a stab at baking with this recipe and I think you might enjoy the results!

This tasty treat recipe has been totally upgraded to offer loads of nutrition and plenty of deliciousness. It also happens to be gluten AND dairy free, so it is both paleo and vegan friendly. This recipe also uses just a low amount of all-natural sweetener and includes a veggie, fruit, nuts and seeds as ingredients—and yet still tastes like super pumpkin-spice-chocolatey heaven!!

If you try this recipe, I’d love to know what you think! I hope you enjoy!

Healthy Holiday Pumpkin-Spice-Chocolate Bread

Ingredients:

1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce

3 tablespoons cashew (or almond) butter, at room temperature

1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1/3 cup + 3 tablespoons boiling water, divided 

1 can 100% pure pumpkin

1/2 cup coconut sugar

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 tablespoon chia seeds + a sprinkle for garnish

1 cup cassava flour

½ cup coconut flour

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

1/8 teaspoon nutmeg

1/8 teaspoon allspice

3/4 teaspoon baking soda

3/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup dairy free dark chocolate chips + 1 tablespoon to sprinkle on top before baking

 Directions:

•  Preheat oven to 350 F and lightly grease an 8-inch bread loaf pan with coconut oil

• Boil water in a tea kettle (no need to measure yet)

•  Put applesauce, cashew butter and cocoa powder in a mixing bowl

• In a separate bowl, sift together cassava and coconut flour, spices, baking soda and salt

•  Measure 1/3 cup boiling water and pour into the bowl with the chocolate mixture, mixing quickly to make a smooth chocolate sauce

• Add pumpkin, coconut sugar, vanilla and mix well

•  Incorporate about half of the flour mixture into the chocolate mixture and gently stir just to begin to mix together

•  Measure 2 tablespoons of boiling water, add in and stir 

•  Add the rest of the flour mixture and another tablespoon of boiling water and stir just until smooth (be sure not to over-mix)

• Fold in 1/2 cup chocolate chips and chia seeds

• Spoon the batter into the prepared loaf pan. It will be quite thick—smooth the top with a spatula, add 1 tablespoon chocolate chips and a sprinkle of chia seeds

• Bake for 40-45 minutes. Stick a knife into the center of the loaf to check and see if it is ready—there might be some chocolate from a chocolate chip—but the knife should come out nearly dry

•  Let cool for at least 10 minutes

•  Slice and serve while still warm!

Enjoy!!

Thank you for being a part of the Wholistic Food Therapy Community!

Thank you for reading and I hope to continue to offer articles that help support your personal wellness journey. If there are any topics you’d like see me write about here, please hit reply and let me know!

I am putting together a 7-Day Cravings Challenge for the new year, more information on that to come very soon! I hope you’ll join me!!

With Gratitude,

Sarah

3 Strategies to Eat Mindfully Throughout the Holiday Season

 
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The holidays offer a time for fun and fulfillment, yet they can be stressful, tiring and overwhelming at the same time. Maintaining mindful awareness throughout the season will help you remain connected to yourself, remain healthy and well while keeping any stress or emotional eating manageable and at bay.

During times of increased stress you become more likely to be in a rush and tired, which leads to making choices that are often rushed and favor convenience. This may cause an experience of not being fully present which can cause eating to feel like just one more thing on your to-do list. Rushing, not being present with your food and not choosing nourishment can cause the internal experience of stress to only become worse.

Mindful eating is paying attention to what you are eating while deriving pleasure and nourishment from your food. When you are eating mindfully, you enhance the experience of eating while acknowledging the opportunity to nourish your body and your mind. Mindful eating is paying attention to the sensory experience of your food.

Just the sight of the food you are about to eat begins the process of digestion. Mindful eating begins by taking in the visual elements and aromas of your food, before you even take one single bite! This mindful process enhances the experience of eating and pleasure of tasting your food.

The holiday season can trigger emotional and stress eating simply because of the stressed and rushed nature of the season. Additionally, this time of year more “comfort foods” tend to be always available and just about everywhere which can trigger the desire to eat irrespective of hunger. Cravings can be caused by just seeing or smelling food AND because of stress and emotional distress.

The three following strategies are intended to help maintain mindful eating throughout the holiday season in order to manage emotional and stress based cravings effectively. When you use these strategies you create an opportunity to be present with your food, to be engaged with eating in a mindful, calm and relaxed manner. This creates an opportunity to derive true pleasure and nourishment from your food, while at the same time reducing stress and emotional tension in general.

1.    Practice 1 minute of deep breathing before eating.

When you are breathing deeply and in a state of relaxation you are engaging the parasympathetic nervous system. This is the rest and digest mode, which is the mode we want to live in—unless of course there is a true emergency. Often when we are rushed or stressed during the holidays, we eat more quickly to get to the next thing on the to-do list. Try slowing down, and breathing deeply for one minute before you eat in order to calm your nervous system. This will allow your body to assimilate the nutrients from you food more effectively while also creating a sense of inner calm as you release stress and tension with your breath.

2.    Before you eat, set an intention to eat mindfully.

When you set any intention, you set in motion a powerful force that helps you focus. When you set your intention to eat mindfully before you take your first bite, you will be far more likely to do so. Setting an intention helps you create a sense of ritual and care for the process of eating and the nourishment and pleasure you will derive from your food. Try setting an intention to eat mindfully before you eat and notice how this simple practice can shift your awareness and sense of focus from your to-do list to the present moment.

3.    Practice gratitude before you eat.

After a bit of deep breathing and setting your intention to eat mindfully, offer gratitude for the food you are about to eat. When you express gratitude for your food, you create a space for deriving pleasure from your food in a big way. This can be a powerful practice to reduce stress and emotional eating as gratitude helps to alleviate stress and anxiety. When practicing gratitude for your food before you take a bite, recognize the preparation and the life giving nutrients in your food—as well as the pleasure you will experience by eating it. Be grateful and notice the impact of gratitude on your physical body as well as your mood state.

Try these three mindful strategies to remain present, focused and engaged as you make choices about what you eat and how you eat it this holiday season. Taking time to slow down, breathe, set an intention to eat mindfully and practice gratitude will allow for health and fulfillment throughout the entire holiday season.